Orientation Programs

The transition from home and high school to college can be an exciting time of challenge and change. Getting started on the right track toward finding, starting, and completing a degree program at Walsh University is an important first step. Walsh University designed its orientation program with the goal of getting students headed in the direction of academic, career, and personal success.

The Summer Orientation Sessions (for parents and students) mark the beginning of Walsh University's distinctive orientation program. This one-day program is designed to assist both incoming students and their parents with the transition to the Walsh University community. Students meet other first year students, interact with faculty and staff members who will be integral to their university career, participate in placement testing, and learn about how to prepare for the upcoming academic year. This program also provides the opportunity for parents to attend entertaining and educational sessions specifically designed to meet their unique needs and interests, including direct meetings with University departments to answer questions, and the "Letting Go" program which is designed to help parents with the transition of sending their child off to college. Additional joint parent-student sessions are presented to encourage specific conversations before their first year of college begins.

During Orientation Weekend (the weekend before classes begin in August) students are introduced to the GE100 course, a series of small group meetings led by a specifically trained and selected instructor. GE100 continues to meet weekly during the first semester and those meetings are opportunities for real-life, hands-on discussions. Typically, discussion and activities center on such topics as college survival skills, diversity, responsible decision-making, career development, academic support systems, justice and peace issues, and healthy relationships. GE100 is a credit bearing course and is required for graduation.